Please read these Terms and Conditions (“Terms and Conditions” or “Agreement”) carefully. This agreement affects your rights.
Ebates Performance Marketing, Inc. dba Rakuten Rewards (“Rakuten” or “we”) makes available shopping programs (“Programs”) through www.rakuten.com and related mobile and software applications (“Rakuten Properties”) under these Terms and Conditions. Rakuten is part of the Rakuten Group, which includes the affiliates and subsidiaries of our parent company, Rakuten Group, Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan.
This Agreement constitutes a legally binding agreement between each individual who enrolls in any of the Programs (“Member”) or otherwise uses any one of the Rakuten Properties. If you are a Member or use any of the Rakuten Properties, YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT, UNDERSTAND IT, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY All OF ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DISCONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN AND USE OF THE PROGRAM(S) AND TERMINATE YOUR PROGRAM ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY.
NOTICE REGARDING DISPUTE RESOLUTION: THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS PROVISIONS THAT GOVERN HOW CLAIMS THAT YOU AND RAKUTEN HAVE AGAINST EACH OTHER ARE RESOLVED. YOU AGREE TO THE MANDATORY INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION/JURY TRIAL WAIVER PROVISIONS, DESCRIBED FULLY IN SECTION 4 BELOW, TO RESOLVE ANY DISPUTES WITH THE COMPANY, EXCEPT FOR THOSE MATTERS THAT MAY BE TAKEN TO SMALL-CLAIMS COURT IN THE EXCLUSIVE VENUE AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 23.2.
1. CHANGES TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.1 Rakuten may at its discretion modify, update, add to, discontinue, remove or otherwise change these Terms and Conditions at any time. Each such modification will take immediate effect upon notification to you. Rakuten may provide you with notices, including those regarding changes to these Terms and Conditions, by website, email, regular mail, text message, in-app messaging, or other reasonable means now known or hereinafter developed.
1.2 Your continued use of the Rakuten Property following any such notifications constitutes your acceptance of such modifications and your agreement to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to any modification of these Terms and Conditions, your sole remedy is to terminate your Account by accessing your Account’s Privacy Preferences. The most current version of these Terms and Conditions will be available on our website and supersedes previous versions.
2. PROGRAM ACCOUNT
2.1 Our Programs are not available to and should not be accessed or used by residents outside of the 50 United States or Washington D.C.. To become a Member, you must be at least 18 years old and provide your email address and password for Rakuten to create your Program account (“Account”). Each person is limited to one Account. To redeem certain offers and promotions and use services offered by our other Programs, you may elect to provide us additional information. Information that you submit through one of our Programs may be saved and available for your use in our other Programs, including, without limitation, any saved payment card information. Any and all information collected from you shall be subject to our Privacy Policy, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
3. INFORMAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION
3.1 We would like an opportunity to address your concerns without a formal legal case. Before filing a claim against Rakuten, You agree to try to resolve the dispute informally by submitting your request through our Member Services page. Please be sure to select “It’s something else” under Topics in your request. We will try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting you in writing via email. If a dispute is not resolved within 30 days of submission through this form, you or Company may bring a formal proceeding.
4. DISPUTE RESOLUTION BY BINDING ARBITRATION; CLASS ACTION WAIVER
4.1 You and Rakuten agree to arbitrate any and all disputes, claims, or controversies arising out of, in connection with, or relating to this Agreement, Rakuten’s business, any of the Programs or the Rakuten Properties, and relationship with you, including any claims that may arise after the termination of this Agreement. This agreement to arbitrate includes any claims against Rakuten’s employees, agents or any subsidiaries of Rakuten. Arbitration is a method of claim resolution that is less formal than a traditional court proceeding in state or federal court. It uses a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury and the arbitrator’s decision is subject to limited review by courts.
4.2 All disputes concerning the arbitrability of a claim (including disputes about the scope, interpretation, breach, applicability, enforceability, revocability or validity of this Agreement) shall be decided by the arbitrator. The arbitrator shall also decide whether any claim is subject to arbitration. You further agree that the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act and federal arbitration law shall govern the interpretation and enforcement of this agreement to arbitrate.
4.3 CLASS ACTION WAIVER: YOU AND COMPANY ALSO AGREE THAT EACH IS GIVING UP THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING, CONSOLIDATED ACTION, OR PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTION. This means that neither you nor Rakuten can seek to assert class or representative claims against each other either in court or in arbitration and no relief can be awarded on a class or representative basis. The arbitrator also may not consolidate or join another person’s claim with your claim or issue an order that would achieve the same result. You and the Rakuten further agree that if the provisions of this paragraph, known as the “Class Action Waiver,” are found to be unenforceable, it cannot be severed from this arbitration agreement and the entire provision compelling arbitration shall be null and void.
4.4 To the extent possible under your local law, the arbitration shall be administered by JAMS pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures and in accordance with the Expedited Procedures in those rules or pursuant to JAMS' Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures (“Rules”). The Rules are available online at www.jamsadr.com. The arbitrator is bound by the terms of this Agreement. If your claim in arbitration is for less than $10,000, Rakuten will reimburse you for filing and arbitrator fees at the conclusion of the proceeding unless your claim is found to be frivolous by the arbitrator. The exclusive venue for any dispute or issue arising out of this Agreement shall be held in San Francisco County, California.
4.5 Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary, you agree that if we make any future, material change to this arbitration provision, you may reject any change by sending us written notice within thirty (30) calendar days of the change to Ebates Performance Marketing, Inc. DBA Rakuten Rewards, 800 Concar Drive, Suite 175, San Mateo, CA 94402, Attn: Rakuten Rewards Legal. Your decision to reject changes in a new arbitration provision, however, does not affect any prior arbitration provisions to which you have already agreed, which would still remain in effect.
4.6 This arbitration provision is optional. You may decline or opt out of this agreement to arbitrate by sending written and signed notice to Ebates Performance Marketing, Inc. dba Rakuten Rewards, 800 Concar Drive, Suite 175, San Mateo, CA 94402, Attn: Legal within thirty (30) calendar days of enrolling as a Member or accessing a Rakuten Property for the first time.
4.7 Judgment upon the arbitration award may be entered in a court having jurisdiction, or application may be made to such court for judicial acceptance of any award and an order of enforcement, as the case may be.
5. PROGRAM LICENSE
5.1 Subject to this Agreement, we hereby grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license (without the right to sublicense) to access and use the Rakuten Properties for your personal use to access the Program(s). You agree that you obtain no rights other than the rights and licenses expressly granted in this Agreement. Rakuten reserves the right to change, upgrade or discontinue the Program, any Rakuten Property, and any feature of the Program or the Rakuten Properties, at any time, with or without notice. All rights not expressly granted under this Agreement are reserved by Rakuten or its licensors.
6. PROGRAM RESTRICTIONS
6.1 You agree that you will not, and will not permit others to: (i) damage, interfere with or unreasonably overload the Rakuten Properties; (ii) introduce into the Rakuten Properties any code intended to disrupt the Program; (iii) alter or delete any information, data, text, links, images, software, chat, communications and other content available through the Rakuten Properties (collectively, “Content”); (iv) access the Program or the Rakuten Properties by expert system, electronic agent, “bot” or other automated means or frame the program or the Rakuten Properties within any applications; (v) use scripts or disguised redirects to derive financial benefit from Rakuten; (vi) modify, reverse engineer, reverse assemble, decompile, copy or otherwise derive the source code of any Rakuten Property for any reason; (vii) rent, sell or sublicense any of the Rakuten Properties; (viii) provide any unauthorized third party with access to the Program; (ix) access or attempt to access confidential Content through the Rakuten Properties or attempt to circumvent any security, Content protection, or authentication measure associated with the Rakuten Properties; (x) interfere with the operation of the Program, including, but not limited to, distribution of unsolicited advertising or mail messages and propagation of computer worms and viruses; (xi) post any material in any form whatsoever on the Rakuten Properties or within the Program that is defamatory, obscene or otherwise unlawful or violates any third party’s right of privacy or publicity; (xii) infringe any third party’s patent, copyright, service mark, trademark or other intellectual property right of any kind or misappropriate the trade secrets of any third party in connection with your use of the Program or the Rakuten Properties; (xiii) engage in any activity that does not comply with applicable law and regulations or otherwise engage in any illegal, manipulative or misleading activity through the use of the Program; (xiv) use the manual or automated software, devices or other processes to "scrape," "crawl," "spider" or index any page of Content from the Rakuten Properties; (xv) attack the Rakuten Properties via a denial-of-service attack, distributed denial-of-service attack, flooding, mailbombing or crashing; or (xvi) otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Rakuten Properties.
7. PROGRAMS
7.1 Cash Back. We offer the ability for Members to earn cash back (“Cash Back”) on their purchases completed through the Rakuten Properties. Rakuten receives compensation for referring buyers to the retailers, brands, merchants and other partners participating in this Program (“Affiliate Stores”). Rakuten gives a portion of this fee to its Members as Cash Back. Compensation received by Rakuten may play a part in whether retailers and products appear on our site, where they are placed, and how we promote them to you. Participation in this Program and the opportunity to earn Cash Back are offered at the sole discretion of Rakuten and subject to your compliance with this Agreement.
(a) Online Cash Back. In order to earn Cash Back online, you must register for an Account, be signed in to one of the Rakuten Properties use the shopping links within the Rakuten Properties, and complete your purchase transaction during the same shopping session you started after clicking on the shopping link. If you visit other sites before completing your purchase or use coupons not provided by Rakuten, your purchase might be associated with a service other than Rakuten and you might not earn Cash Back on your purchase. If you disable “cookies” on your computer so that the cookies are not operational when you complete your purchase transaction, you will not be able to earn Cash Back because cookies are used to authenticate the user and verify whose Member Account is eligible for the Cash Back.
(b) In-Store Cash Back. Rakuten may also offer you the opportunity to earn Cash Back on purchases made in store (“In-Store Cash Back”) at certain physical Affiliate Store locations. In order to be eligible for In-Store Cash Back, you must link your payment card to an “in-store” offer (“Card Linked Offer”) and subsequently using such payment card to complete the purchase transaction in accordance with the terms of the Card Linked Offer. The terms of the In-Store Cash Back Terms & Conditions and the terms accompanying each Card Linked Offer will govern how In-Store Cash Back is earned and paid to the extent they vary from this Agreement.
7.2 RAKUTEN APPLICATIONS. Rakuten may make available software applications (“Rakuten Applications”) to allow you to access our Programs without visiting www.rakuten.com. Rakuten Applications include our mobile app and browser extension and for purposes of this Agreement, are expressly included in all references to Rakuten Properties.
(a) Cash Back Shopping with Rakuten Applications. When you are interacting with the Rakuten Applications, we will collect information about the coupons, deals, merchants, products, and offers you click on. In addition, the Rakuten Applications may alert you of a deal or offer available that you had previously selected but had not purchased at an Affiliate Store site. Rakuten Applications may also collect information about your shopping behavior within your browser session for internal testing purposes. Information collected by the Rakuten Applications for these purposes will include date and time of use, browser type, browser version, device type, URLs of web pages visited, general information about the visited web page, product searches, product search results, information about products added to cart, and other product information. Rakuten may collect this information from certain merchants and not all Affiliate Stores. The Rakuten Applications will also collect and use data, such as the order contents and order total, from order confirmation pages so we may confirm your Cash Back faster and more reliably (“Instant Cash Back”). Instant Cash Back may not be available at all Affiliate Stores. We do not intentionally collect nor use other types of information that may be included on an Affiliate Store’s order confirmation page, such as your address or partial payment information, although this information may be incidentally captured to the limited extent it is displayed by the Affiliate Store. Any data collected by the Rakuten Applications will be used, stored, and/or disclosed in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can also stop all collection of information by the Rakuten Application by uninstalling it.
(b) Cash Back Shopping with the Browser Extension. The Browser Extension is made available to enhance your shopping experience with www.rakuten.com by providing you with relevant offers and references displayed on your browser. If you elect to install the Browser Extension, the Browser Extension will display Cash Back shopping opportunities. The Browser Extension will prompt you to start your Cash Back shopping session via www.rakuten.com. The Browser Extension will alert you of coupon opportunities and will also alert you of a deal or offer available through www.rakuten.com with respect to a product or brand appearing in your search results or on other pages you visit across the web, and prompt you to start a shopping session at one of our Affiliate Stores. If you start a shopping session using the Browser Extension, it will set a cookie (or other similar tracking technologies) on your device through our affiliate network for the purpose of tracking your shopping session and crediting your Cash Back reward — just as if you had begun your shopping experience via any of our links to Affiliate Store sites on www.rakuten.com. Please note, however, that if cookies or other similar tracking devices from other affiliate marketing companies related to that Affiliate Store are already present on your computer, the Browser Extension will not automatically overwrite those cookies or shopping session but may still offer you the ability to start a Cash Back shopping session when you arrive at an Affiliate Store’s website.
(c) Browser Extension Features. The Browser Extension also has some functionality that does not depend upon your interaction with it. By installing the Browser Extension, you enable Rakuten to automatically collect information on the pages you visit on your browser so that we can surface relevant offers, such as when coupons are available at a merchant or when Cash Back and/or coupons are available with our Affiliate Stores. The Browser Extension will also collect information on the results pages of any searches you make so it can surface offers and deals where they are relevant (for example, the Browser Extension will display a Cash Back offer within a search engine results page that is related to those search results or a dining offer on a restaurant review website).
(d) Autofill. When you complete a purchase at an Affiliate Store through the Rakuten mobile app, we may offer you the option to store the billing and payment information from your order confirmation page so that it may be available for use on future purchases or Program experiences (“Autofill Profile”). You can update or delete the information in your Autofill Profile at any time by navigating to Rakuten Autofill from the My Account section of the Rakuten mobile app. Autofill may not be available on all Affiliate Stores.
(e) Your Choices with Rakuten Applications. You may turn off certain features of Rakuten Applications by updating the options within the Settings of the Rakuten Application or device or browser settings. When using our mobile application, your preferences for receiving push notifications and other mobile alerts can be configured in the settings of your mobile device.
(f) Export Control of Rakuten Applications. Rakuten Applications and their underlying information and technology may not be exported or re-exported into any country to which the U.S. has export restrictions, including U.S. embargoed goods or to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Commerce Department’s Table of Deny Orders. You represent and warrant that you are not located in, under the control of or a national or resident of any such country or on any such list of export restriction, and that you will otherwise comply with all applicable export control laws.
8. CASH BACK EXCLUSIONS
8.1 CASH BACK IS EARNED ON YOUR NET PURCHASE AMOUNT, WHICH EXCLUDES TAXES, FEES, SHIPPING, GIFT-WRAPPING, DISCOUNTS OR CREDITS, RETURNS OR CANCELLATIONS, AND EXTENDED WARRANTIES. PURCHASES WITH GIFT CARDS MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR CASH BACK IF EXCLUDED IN THE TERMS OF OFFER BY AN AFFILIATE STORE. CASH BACK AMOUNTS VARY BY AFFILIATE STORE AND PRODUCT CATEGORY AND MAY CONTAIN EXCLUSIONS IN THE TERMS OF THE OFFER AND THE APPLICABLE STORE PAGE. PLEASE REVIEW THESE TERMS CAREFULLY.
9. STORE POLICIES
9.1 A product purchased from any Affiliate Store, whether online or in store, is governed by and subject to the applicable Affiliate Store policies, including applicable exchange and shipping policies. You agree that we are not agents of any Affiliate Store and that the Affiliate Stores operate independently and are not under our control. Accordingly, your participation in offers or promotions of, or correspondence with, any Affiliate Store is solely between you and that Affiliate Store. We do not assume any liability, obligation or responsibility for any part of such correspondence, offer or promotion, including, without limitation, the withdrawal or modification of any such offer or promotion. Rakuten is not responsible for changes to, or discontinuance of, any Affiliate Store, or for any Affiliate Store withdrawal from the Program, or for any effect on accrual of Cash Back caused by such changes, discontinuance or withdrawal.
10. BONUSES AND OTHER REWARDS
10.1 Rakuten periodically offers bonuses or rewards for referring new Members to the Program or for other specific actions. Participation in our Refer-A-Friend Program or Welcome Bonus Program is subject, as they apply, to our Referral Program Terms or Welcome Bonus Program Terms. In order to be eligible for bonuses and other rewards offered by Rakuten, you, and as applicable any participants must be located and be a resident of the 50 United States or Washington D.C. Bonus offers cannot be stacked. The terms and conditions accompanying such offers will govern how they are earned and paid if the terms and conditions differ from this Agreement. All bonuses and rewards are subject to review. Rakuten reserves the right to withhold, deny or cancel any bonuses and/or rewards and/or terminate your Account if Rakuten, in its sole discretion, deems your redemption of any bonuses and/or rewards are fraudulent as described further in Section 12.3 below, abusive, unethical, suspicious or otherwise inconsistent with any terms and conditions that accompany any offer, this Agreement or any other applicable law or regulation. Rakuten decisions are final.
11. PAYMENT OF CASH BACK AND OTHER REWARDS
11.1 Requirements. As a condition of payment of accrued Cash Back or other rewards, you must: (i) establish and maintain an Active Account (defined below); (ii) provide a valid email address that you own and are able to receive email; (iii) provide a password to protect your Account; and (iv) provide your physical address. If you elect to receive payment via PayPal, you must provide a valid PayPal email address and not use a PayPal account associated with another Program Account. A single PayPal email address cannot be connected to multiple Program Accounts. Additionally, you must not be a resident of a country subject to economic or trade sanctions by the U.S. State Department or U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), be listed as a “Specially Designated National,” a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” a “Blocked Person” or similar designation under the OFAC sanctions regime, or be a resident outside of the 50 United States or Washington D.C. You further agree to provide additional information we may reasonably request to verify your identity as a condition for receiving payment.
11.2 Cash Back Payments. The minimum payment amount for Cash Back and other Cash Back Program rewards is $5.01. Balances below $5.01 remain in your Account for potential payment during the next payment period. Rakuten pays members in U.S. dollars via check, PayPal or other payment options as Rakuten may make available from time to time. Members may select or change their payment options in the account settings through the Rakuten Properties. Rakuten pays its Members confirmed Cash Back and Cash Back Program related rewards in accordance with the current payment schedule. Cash Back displayed in your account may be a combination of confirmed and pending amounts. Cash Back is not payable until it is confirmed. The rate at which Cash Back updates from pending to confirmed will vary depending on the Affiliate Store, the Affiliate Stores’ policies and reporting schedules, the nature of the item(s) purchased, and other fraud risk factors Cash Back for travel-related purchases typically does not become confirmed until after travel has been completed. Rakuten reserves the right to delay payment for any purchase based on Rakuten’s suspicion or detection of fraud with your Account, the misattribution of your Cash Back rewards by an Affiliate Store, any anomaly’s detected by Rakuten with your account, changes to Affiliate Store policies at any time. Rakuten also reserves the right to modify the payment schedule at any time. Rakuten is not responsible for payments delivered to the wrong address through no fault of Rakuten or for payment errors made by payment partners, like PayPal. If your check expires without being cashed or deposited, or if it is returned uncashed to Rakuten, the payment amount will be returned to your Account, where it may be subject to inactive account maintenance charges described in Section 12.2 below or subject to state abandoned property law, unless you take the proper steps to restore your Account to Active status.
11.3 Gift Cards. Periodically, Rakuten may offer gift cards in connection with a promotion or as a redemption option for your Cash Back. Gift cards are subject to the terms and conditions of the gift card issuer and the applicable Affiliate Store policies. Rakuten is not responsible for lost or stolen payments, including gift cards. Gift cards for sign up bonuses are issued in the form of physical gift card, require a United States address, and are only redeemable within the United States (excluding U.S. territories).
11.4 Account Adjustments. In our sole discretion, we may deduct Cash Back from your account to make adjustments for returns and cancellations with respect to Cash Back Program purchases. Any such adjustments will be made in accordance with this Agreement, any applicable Rakuten policies and terms, the terms of the Affiliate Store offer and any and all applicable laws, rules and regulations. The determination of whether a purchase made through an Affiliate Store qualifies for Cash Back is at the sole discretion of Rakuten. If an Affiliate Store fails to report a transaction to Rakuten or fails to make payment to Rakuten for any reason, Rakuten reserves the right to cancel the Cash Back associated with that transaction. It is your responsibility to check your Account regularly to ensure that Cash Back has been properly credited and paid and that your Account balance is accurate. If you believe that Cash Back has not been correctly credited to your account, you must contact Rakuten Member Services within ninety (90) days of the transaction. In addition, Rakuten may make account adjustments for any Cash Back that Rakuten, in its sole discretion, deems as fraudulent, abusive, unethical, suspicious or otherwise inconsistent with the Referral Program Terms, this Agreement or any other applicable law or regulation. Rakuten decisions are final. Should you disagree with any adjustments made to your account or payments made to you, your sole remedy is to terminate your account.
11.5 Taxes. You may be taxed on your receipt of bonuses and other consideration (merchandise, travel, etc.) for member referrals or other promotional activities (such as prizes from a sweepstakes) depending on the tax laws of federal, state and local jurisdictions. You will be solely responsible for any tax liability arising out of the consideration received in connection with any member referrals or promotional activities.
12. ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE
12.1 Updating Your Account. You agree to keep your Account information current, complete and accurate by periodically updating the information through the Rakuten Properties. You must be logged into Rakuten and enter your password to change your Account information and payment preferences. You may check your Account status and recent purchase and/or earning history at any time via the Rakuten Properties. You will maintain the confidentiality of your Account information, including username and password by which you access the Program. Any use of your username and password will be deemed to be your use, and Rakuten is entitled to act on instructions received under your password and is not responsible for any credits or debits made to your account by someone else who uses your password. If there is a breach of security through your Account, you will immediately change your password and notify us of such breach. You agree that, unless you have first notified us immediately of any such breach, we should assume that any instruction transmitted using your username and password is yours and has been authorized by you, and we will have no obligation to inquire into the propriety of such instruction.
12.2 Account Activity. An Active Account means you must have shopped or started a shopping trip via the Rakuten Properties within the past twelve (12) months. Except where prohibited by applicable law, if you have not shopped or started a shopping trip via the Rakuten Properties for more than twelve (12) consecutive months, Rakuten reserves the right to debit your Account balance five dollars ($5.00) per month (“Maintenance Fee”) to recover the cost of account maintenance in its normal course of business until you reactivate your Account by shopping or starting a shopping trip via the Rakuten Properties or until your account balance is zero. If your account remains inactive for more than thirty-six (36) consecutive months and the balance in your inactive account is or becomes zero, Rakuten reserves the right to close the Account permanently and cease to maintain your Account records and Program access. Maintenance Fees are nonrefundable, but will not cause your account balance to become negative, and will not cause you to owe money to Rakuten.
12.3 Fraudulent Activity. We reserve the right to investigate any purchase transactions, referral activity, or interaction with any Rakuten Property that we suspect, in our sole discretion, is abusing or has abused the Program. We reserve the right to rescind any Cash Back, bar further Cash Back awards and/or bonuses, and/or terminate any Member Account that we believe, in our sole discretion, is abusing or has abused the Program, including, without limitation, by engaging in a pattern of returning products after the corresponding Cash Back has been credited or making fraudulent referrals by creating multiple Accounts. Multiple Accounts created under the Refer-A-Friend Program with the same name, name on orders, payment method on orders, address, email address, PayPal account, or other identifying feature may be flagged as fraudulent referrals. Any failure to comply with this Agreement, any fraud or abuse relating to the accrual or receipt of Cash Back or other rewards and bonuses, or any misrepresentation of any information furnished to Rakuten by you or anyone acting on your behalf may result in the termination of your Account and forfeiture of any accrued Cash Back rewards. If Rakuten has any reason to suspect fraudulent activity is associated with your Account, Rakuten reserves the right to delay or withhold payment of Cash Back. Any suspected or actual cases of fraud activity will be escalated and reviewed in accordance with our fraud process. Rakuten decisions are final.
13. RECEIVING COMMUNICATIONS
13.1 By signing up to be a Member, you agree to receive communications and notices by electronic mail. Our communications may be account- and membership-related (e.g., that we’ve added money to your account, that a purchase has been made, that we are mailing you a check on a certain date, etc.) as well as periodic shopping-related emails that highlight coupons and special deals available to Rakuten Members. We may communicate with you regarding the Program by electronic mail or direct mail using information you provide to us. Your consent to receive electronic communications includes any notices or other information that we may be required by law to provide you in writing or otherwise. You agree to keep us apprised of your current email address should the same change after the date you become a Member. We may also send you push notifications if you install the mobile application. If you elect to provide us a mobile number, we may use it to contact you when you make account updates or for account recovery purposes. You may receive recurring messages from us during those account changes. Standard message rates apply, and carriers are not responsible for any delayed or undelivered messages. You may opt out of receiving certain communications in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
14. COMPANY APPLICATIONS
14.1 Company may make available software applications (“Company Applications”) to allow you to access our Programs without visiting www.rakuten.com. For purposes of this Agreement, references to Company Properties shall include Company Applications. Company Applications and their underlying information and technology may not be exported or re-exported into any country to which the U.S. has export restrictions, including U.S. embargoed goods or to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Commerce Department’s Table of Deny Orders. You represent and warrant that you are not located in, under the control of or a national or resident of any such country or on any such list of export restriction, and that you will otherwise comply with all applicable export control laws.
15. THIRD-PARTY PLATFORMS
15.1 When you access or use the Company Properties, we may make available services from one or more third parties (“Third-Party Platforms”). The Company Properties support Third-Party Platforms, including Apple, Facebook, and Google to make it easier for you to sign in or create your Account. Any use of Third-Party Platforms to create and access your Account is subject to the terms and conditions and privacy policies of such third parties (“Third-Party Terms”).
16. YOUR FEEDBACK
16.1 You may be invited to provide us feedback, comments, ideas, suggestions, reviews and other information about our Programs (“Feedback”) through the Rakuten Properties, by our member services or through one of our service providers, like Trustpilot. You hereby grant to Rakuten and its affiliates and agents a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, perform, translate, create derivative works from, distribute and display the Feedback in any media and for any legal purpose, including, without limitation, the right to use such Feedback in advertising and promotional materials and to enhance or improve our products and services and the products and services of its affiliates.
17. COMMUNITY STANDARDS
17.1 By participating in the Program, you are becoming a Member of a community that depends on the goodwill and responsible behavior of each of our Members. Members are required to refrain from transmission or communication of images or text constituting ethnic slurs, obscenities, sexually explicit material, inflammatory or derogatory comments, or anything else that may be construed as harassing or offensive, which is targeted at the Program, the Rakuten Properties, our employees, contractors or agents, our Affiliate Stores, or other Members. This includes communications by means of social media or other Internet posts that violate the above community standards or promote or encourage gaming or fraudulent behavior. Members who violate this provision, as determined by us in our sole discretion, may have their access to the Program suspended or terminated without prior notice.
18. OWNERSHIP
18.1 All right, title and interest in the Program, the Rakuten Properties and the Content belong to Rakuten or its licensors. Additionally, Rakuten shall maintain all right, title and interest in the “Rakuten” mark, the “Ebates” mark, the Rakuten logo, the Ebates logo and any other marks, service marks, trademarks or logos of Rakuten and its affiliates (“Rakuten Marks”). The Rakuten Marks may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not Rakuten’s or in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among customers, or in any manner that disparages or discredits Rakuten or implies a partnership, sponsorship, or endorsement by Rakuten. You shall not by any means bid on any keywords with any search engine containing “Rakuten,” “Ebates” or anything substantially similar to “Rakuten,” “Ebates,” “Buy.com” or any other Rakuten Mark including, without limitation, Rakuten.com, Rakuten.ca, Ebates.com, Buy.com, BFAds.net or Ebates.ca. You shall not mention or use Rakuten in any ad text, extensions or banner ads without the express written consent of Rakuten. All other trademarks not owned by Rakuten that are used in the Programs are the property of their respective owners, who may or may not be affiliated with, connected to or sponsored by Rakuten.
19. INDEMNIFICATION
19.1 You agree to indemnify Rakuten, our Affiliate Stores, as well as their respective officers, directors, employees, successors, agents and affiliates, for any and all claims, damages, losses and causes of action (including attorneys’ fees and court costs) arising out of or relating to your breach of this Agreement or for any materials in any form whatsoever that are provided by you (or through your username and/or password). You agree to cooperate as fully as reasonably required in our defense and/or settlement of any claim. We reserve the right, in our reasonable discretion, to assume exclusive control over the defense and settlement of any matter subject to indemnification by you.
20. WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
20.1 THE PROGRAM, CONTENT AND THE COMPANY PROPERTIES ARE PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY AS TO THE QUALITY, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, RELIABILITY OR VALIDITY OF THE PROGRAMS, CONTENT OR THE COMPANY PROPERTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY PRODUCT SEARCH RESULTS, PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS, AUTOFILL, INSTANT CASH BACK, PRICING INFORMATION ADVICE, OPINION, STATEMENT, RECOMMENDATIONS, REVIEWS OR OTHER INFORMATION DISPLAYED, UPLOADED OR DISTRIBUTED IN CONNECTION WITH ANY PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, WE MAKE NO WARRANTY AS TO PRODUCT AVAILABILITY, INCLUDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCT FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY SUCH AS COMMERCE CAPTURE, AUTOFILL, AND TARGETED MARKETING AND PERSONALIZATION WHICH AVAILABILITY MAY VARY BASED ON YOUR CASH BACK EXPERIENCE. COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE COMPANY PROPERTIES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THEY WILL BE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. FURTHER, COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE QUALITY OR ACCURACY OF ADVERTISEMENTS FOR ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES OFFERED OR PROVIDED BY ITS AFFILIATE STORES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROGRAMS.
21. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
21.1 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPANY BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, STATUTORY, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE OR OTHER INDIRECT DAMAGES OR FOR ANY LOSS PROFITS, LOSS DATA OR LOSS OF USE DAMAGES, EVEN IF IT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AGREE THAT THE COMPANY’S MAXIMUM AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT EXCEED FIFTY U.S. DOLLARS ($50) OR THE MAXIMUM CASH BACK AMOUNT YOU RECEIVED IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS FROM THE DATE OF ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS, WHICHEVER IS GREATER. THIS LIMITATION SHALL APPLY TO ANY AND ALL LIABILITIES OR CAUSES OF ACTION HOWEVER ALLEGED OR ARISING, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, BREACH OF CONTRACT, OR ANY OTHER CLAIM WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT, OR EQUITY.
22. TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION
22.1 This Agreement is effective when accepted by you and will remain in effect until you or we terminate your Account. You may terminate your Account by accessing your Account’s Privacy Preferences. We may terminate this Agreement, your Account, and your use of or access to the Program at any time, for any reason or no reason, including if your Account remains inactive per Section 12.2. Any violation of this Agreement or the rules and conditions of the Program may result in the termination of your Account and forfeiture of pending or prior Cash Back and other rewards. We may, in our sole discretion, at any time and without prior notice, discontinue, cancel, suspend, change or limit access to all or any part of the Program or any functionality, feature or other component of any Rakuten Property. You agree that Rakuten will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or termination of the Program or your access to any of the Rakuten Properties. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the Program at any time, your sole and exclusive remedy is to cease participating in the Program by terminating your Account by accessing your Account’s Privacy Preferences. Upon any termination of the Program, your right to use and access the Program, and the Rakuten Properties, and to receive Cash Back and other rewards, will terminate. Termination will not prejudice either you or our remedies at law or in equity.
23. GENERAL PROVISIONS
23.1 Entire Agreement. These Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and Rakuten and govern your use of the Program or Rakuten Properties superseding any prior agreements between you and Rakuten with respect to the Program or Rakuten Properties (including, without limitation, earlier versions of this Agreement that may have been accepted by you). Any representations, statements or agreements made or entered into elsewhere, whether directly or indirectly, written or oral or in advertising are not binding toward Rakuten unless expressly confirmed in writing by Rakuten to you. You may also be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use or purchase certain other Rakuten services, Rakuten affiliate services, third party content or third party software.
23.2 Choice of Law and Venue. The validity, construction and interpretation of this Agreement and the relationship between You and Rakuten, including the rights and duties of the parties, will be governed by the laws of the State of California in the United States without regard to its conflict of law provisions. This shall not limit the protection afforded to you by provisions that cannot be derogated from by agreement by virtue of applicable law. The exclusive venue for any dispute or issue arising out of this Agreement shall be held in San Francisco County, California.
23.3 Interpretation. Headings under this Agreement are intended only for convenience and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement.
23.4 Waiver and Severability of Terms. Any waiver or failure to enforce any provision of this Agreement on one occasion will not be deemed a waiver of any other provision or of such provision on any other occasion. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions, except as otherwise stated.
23.5 Assignment. You may not assign, transfer, or otherwise dispose of your rights and obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent, and any such assignment without such consent will be null and void. Rakuten has the right to transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of these Terms and Conditions without Your consent.
Updated: August 14, 2024